Cotswold Trichology

13/10/2025

Have been meaning to put this up all day but but kept getting distracted 🤦‍♀️

October is ADHD awareness month amongst other things. Apparently around 2.5 million people in the UK have ADHD. Personally I think it's more.

It's a trait that runs in my family, easily spottable in boys and men but women are great maskers. We learn how to hide, make it work, to hyper-focus on getting things correct, not getting spotted, getting away with it.

You can feel quite smug about getting away with know-one knowing, then one day..... Menobrain hits. As oestrogen drops, ADHD signs become more apparent, not just to you but to everyone else too.

It seems that as if we don't already have enough to deal with - Hair changes, skin changes, disappearing lips, creaking joints and weight gain. The tendency towards getting sidetracked now turns into your middle name. Ping-ponging around the house leaving a trail of half started jobs... Is it ADHD, is it Menopause, is it early onset dementia.

Those of us that have been holding it together for years suddenly need someone else to take over a few things making our life a little less chaotic.

Me - I will be be looking forward to my 14 year old confiscating my flight boarding pass in a week or so when we go on holiday (I lost it last time, now not to be trusted 😂).

27/09/2025

Off to London in a couple of hours, guess I should pack!😂😂😂

As Theradome GB are an official sponsor of the event I’ve been a bit busy planning stuff other than my suitcase 🧳

Looking forward to seeing my Hair Wizard Colleagues this weekend. Those of you more organised than me and already on your way, please look the Whova ap and click like on my pictures and stuff ###

16/09/2025

SMP days are the best days. Chilled out, creative and positively influencing someone confidence by improving their appearance. I also get or wear clothing the equivalent of pyjamas in comfort level.

29/03/2025

I’ve been using CNSLab for years for food intolerance testing. While hair is my thing, not for food intolerance testing as it isn’t accurate.

09/01/2025

For those of you squeamish about venous blood tests or have problem squeezing enough blood out of a finger for a finger prick blood test, this smart little invention is here to make the whole process of blood testing simple and ver un-squeamish.

Autodraw is a little device you stick on the top of your arm and it drips blood slowly into a collection pot over 5 minutes, if you need a second pot, just unclip and clip a new one on.

I'm due a blood test myself so next week you can watch me use the new system and see if its as simple as they say it is😊

Learn how to collect a good blood sample using the autodraw device.

07/01/2025

Veganuary 🥕 is upon us where meat eaters give up a staple food group (protein) for the month. As a former Vegetarian for over 20 years, I have done enough veggie time to never have to do it again.

It was only due to my Trichology training I quit vegetarianism in my 30s and slowly increased the variety of animal protein I was willing to consume.

It wasn’t easy and when I became pregnant with my daughter I got steak cravings but cooked and ate it in secret as I’d made such a fuss about not eating cows 🐮

I still do not eat many 'little animals', where possible to buy organic, outdoor bread meat. Animal welfare is still something I care about whilst maintaining my own health and needs.

From a hair point of view, dietary protein is very important for keratin formation. Veggie's and Vegans are classically low in both iron and B12. You just simply cannot get enough in from plant-based diets and need to supplement.

It is possible to be a healthy vegan with careful planning and food combining. Eating should be treated and a meticulous science along with an all-encompassing supplement regime.

Alas, most Vegans will not do this but live on carbs instead, Veggie close companions similar but with everything drenched in Cheese …. Hello cholesterol 🧀

So, if you are vegan and visit for a hair loss appointment, don't take offence or feel I’m putting your lifestyle choice down. It may be to blame for the hair issues you face.

If you book a consultation, you are paying me to tell you what is wrong with your hair and what to do about it. You are not paying me to tell you what you want to hear.

There are ‘specialists’ who take money for treatments that won’t help. And more products designed for marketing and social media trends than it is possible to track.

If you need to make lifestyle choices, I will tell you. If you don't like it then don't change but I can’t wave a magic wand if you are not willing to help yourself 😁

19/12/2024

Absolutely love this demo, I’d never use straighteners on my hair now I’m red.

12/12/2024

Apple Cider Vinegar. 🤦‍♀️

Every few years this one does the rounds, revived by a journalist in need of content.

Product development teams follow suit to develop cosmetics / products that follow ‘market trends,’ then influencers promote it to earn a living. Then you lovely people buy it.

I’m currently seeing an influx of people who have been Cider Vinegar rinsing their scalp to promote hair growth. What they actually end up with is a sore, red, irritated scalp due to their CV scalp rinse having a pH of 2-3.

Guess what a sore irritated scalp causes …… well, it could certainly contribute to hair loss!

Whilst the hair shaft maybe fine with a pH of 3.5, the scalp and skin prefers a pH of closer to 5.5. Hence the optimum pH range for shampoo, skin and hair products is often quoted at 4.5-5.5.

So ladies and gents, quit pouring acid on your head and go find yourself a reputable Trichologist instead 👩‍🔬😁

03/10/2024

Absolutely! Following on from a previous post, product manufacturers only care about persuading as many people to buy their product no matter if it’s right for them or not. These products do not fix iron deficiency, you’d need to take 3-4 times the stated dose for them to do anything at all.

28/09/2024

BANNED TOXIC INGREDIENTS IN PERSONAL CARE 🤬

For most of my life I have spent much of my free time studying something, not always hair or business related but often is.

I’m currently studying cosmetic science as I’ve always been interested in product ingredients.

Much claims and USP’s of product companies are based on marketing the product to turn over as many units as they possibly can.

‘Green’ companies have used ingredient scaremongering as a marketing tactic for years.

This works well on those consumers who believe the journalists who write about it and content creators on social media.

I have to force myself not to roll my eyes on a daily basis when presented with something a patient has purchased because marketing made them truly believe it was going to save them 🤦‍♀️

I probably still do roll my eyes but to be frank, I’m too old to care now 😂

Anyhow, this mornings cosmetic science lesson was to grab the nearest 5 products, use the COSMILE app to scan the ingredients list, follow the link to further reading then write the pros and cons of each.

So I grab my deodorant, have been using for 27 years, marketed as aluminium free because aluminium can apparently cause many health complaints and ‘may’ be linked to breast cancer.

So I found an ingredient I’d never heard of called Triclosan. COSMILE states it reduces or stops body odour. That’s interesting me thinks, I’ll read more about this one as it must be the active ingredient.

Turns out it is an oestrogen and potential thyroid disrupter amongst many other dangers. Listed as a pesticide, it was banned in US soap products by the FDA but still allowed in other personal care.

The EU banned it in ALL personal care in 2016 due to toxicity safety concerns!

So I shall be binning my apparently ‘natural’ deodorant in favour of one of those salt rocks and adding ‘truly toxic free deodorant’ to the list of products I’d like to formulate.

https://foreverliving.com/shop/gbr/en-gb/products/personal-care/067-ALOE-EVER-SHIELD-DEODORANT

https://www.bcpp.org/resource/triclosan/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6126357/ #:~:text=In%20September%202016%2C%20TCS%20was,hand%20sanitizer%2C%20and%20surgical%20soaps.

A potential endocrine disruptor that at lower levels increases the growth of breast cancer cells, and at higher levels, suppresses the growth of these cells. Read More

03/09/2024

Wow that’s an amazing claim considering the average Caucasian rate of growth is half an inch or less a month. A shampoo that can quadruple the rate of growth ….. they will surely be millionaires soon!

I wonder what the Advertising Standards Agency would make of that 🤷‍♀️

If you are concerned about your hair please seek help from a registered professional rather falling for marketing gimics.

30/08/2024

Recent research has found that resilient individuals have healthier gut microbiomes and more active brain regions for emotion regulation, highlighting a strong gut-brain connection that supports better stress management and overall mental well-being.